ELŻBIETA AUSTRIACZKA – KRÓLOWA POLSKA I WIELKA KSIĘŻNA LITEWSKA (1526–1545).

Abstract

June 15th 2015 is the 470th anniversary of Elizabeth of Austria’s death. The  story of the first wife of Sigismund August the Second is rather uncharted. There is neither her biography nor even an article considering her lot. Short life of the Queen of Poland and the Grand Duchess of Lithuania was very tragic and the queen herself was a victim of the dynastic plans of the Jagiellons and the Habsburgs as well as their international politics (considering the matter of Kingdom of Prussia or the reign of Jan Zapolya in Transylvania). All her life was she prepared to be the queen of Poland, however she found neither love nor even respect there. Due to brevity of her reign and “old queen” Bona Sforza’s dislike, she did not play any signicant political role, although the Habsburgs wanted her to be the main proponent of their interests on the Polish court. Her premature death and the conict with the powerful mother-in-law became a very popular theme in Polish literature, art and cinematography.